The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of Lilium hybrid, referred to commercially as an upright Asiatic hybrid pot lily, hereinafter sometimes referred to by the cultivar name `Snow Crystal`.
This invention was originated from a hybridization made by the inventor in a controlled breeding program in Aurora, Oreg. The seed and pollen parent plants are unnamed Asiatic lily hybrid seedlings. More specifically, this plant is a product of seed parent A-112-80 crossed with pollen parent A-077-82. These parent plants are proprietary, non-released plants. This plant was developed for pot plant production and short stature.
This invention is distinguished by its numerous medium-sized white flowers with bright orange pollen produced on short strong stems with abundant rich green foliage. It is unique in its pure unspotted, unblotched white flower color on a true dwarf stem. It has extremely uniform stem height regardless of bulb size. It was selected for its attractive creamy white buds and short stems requiring no growth regulators. Lilium `Snow Crystal` does not need large bulbs for good flower number. This is a distinct advantage in a pot plant. This plant flowers annually mid-season, has a vigorous and upright growth habit, and bulbs of this plant may be precooled and forced out of season for pot plant production. In addition, this new lily is highly resistant to disease and shows high tolerance to virus.
Of the many cultivars known to the inventor, the inventor is not aware of any other genetically dwarf Asiatic pot lily exhibiting the unblotched white color of this new variety.
Asexual reproduction of this new variety has been accomplished by scaling and tissue culture at the above location. The resulting plants have demonstrated that the above-mentioned unique characteristics are firmly fixed and are retained through successive generations reproduced by asexual reproduction.